Letter: Important film

Thank you very much to the cinema manager and owners of Liberty Hall for bringing the beautiful and significant documentary “Chasing Ice” to downtown Lawrence. This is the story of James Balog, one of the world’s premier nature photographers, who went to the Arctic in 2005 on assignment for National Geographic to capture images that would portray the reality of the Earth’s warming and the visual evidence of a changing climate. With a scientific background, Balog had been unconvinced by computer climate simulations, but the sight of melting icefields changed his mind.

In 2007, he began the “Extreme Ice Survey.” With a team of adventurous assistants, Balog deployed a system of time-lapse cameras at glaciers in Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, and Montana. The results of this unprecedented photographic feat show glaciers breaking up and tumbling into the sea and the rapid shrinkage of glaciers in just a few years. “Chasing Ice” is an outdoor story and a personal story with Balog as the central character, but the main message is visual with just enough scientific interpretation to give the film a sobering credibility.

In these times, it’s very important for people who care about the future of society to see this film and think about the implications for themselves. I appreciate that Liberty Hall has provided this opportunity for all of us.

Comments

The time lapse captured retreat was pretty amazing. I'd never heard of glaciers "deflating" like they were balloons with a leak, and didn't realize that the retreat was going on year-round. The story about Balog's health issues seemed to go on a little long, but I suppose that they had to pad it a little to make it into a full length feature.

And the 75 minute long ultra calving release time lapse taken at the biggest Greenland glacier took my breath away.

I think it is great that we have Liberty Hall so that we can see these films that would not be shown at our one other theater. People who live in northern areas have talked about dramatic changes going on, in places where there is permafrost villages have had to be moved because the ground beneath them is melting and turning to mud.

It is not a matter of what scientists are telling us, it is a matter of what people are witnessing and living though.

Those glaciers feed streams and rivers that provide water to those who live close to them, another major drought just waiting to happen.

The people that need to see this film the most will of course will not because as deniers they don't like to have their preconceived notions challenged.

Spoiler Alert:

When the glacier calved a chunk of ice the size of Manhattan island ( in real-time it took 75 minutes) it was kind of like witnessing what the end of times might look like. The scale was so huge it was more than my mind could wrap around.

Chasing Ice is one of the most stunning movies I have ever seen. The images are gorgeous. Those are places I will never see with my own eyes, because it's almost impossible to go there. See it for the beauty alone.